Miracles
by Chev 7
Summary: A beautiful moment in the life of Naruto and Hinata. Please be kind and leave a review.
1. Chapter 1

"She's beautiful Hinata."

Despite having said that nearly seven times before, Naruto couldn't seem to stop saying that over and over as he looked down at his wife and the small bundle that she held close to her chest. Hinata's face was slightly pale but the smile she had on her face lit up the room in Naruto's opinion. Naruto reached down and gently stroked the newborn's head. _I can't believe it…after nine months of waiting she's finally here, _Naruto thought as he smiled down at Hinata and the baby.

"I know we were originally going to wait for everyone to get here before we named her…but I thought up a few names for her already," Naruto said sheepishly as he scratched his head.

Hinata nodded and adjusted the baby so she could better hold the bundle of joy. "I also thought up a few names to be honest…I thought we could discuss them before everyone showed up." Naruto smiled and then looked back at the baby who had fallen asleep while they were talking to each other.

Naruto turned his head upward and closed his eyes for a moment as the possible names he had began to run through his head. He had thought up the names before seeing his daughter for the first time, but now that he had finally was able to lay his eyes on her two possible names popped into her head.

_Hmmm…Shana sounds like a good name…or maybe even Anika _

A large grin appeared on Naruto's face as he turned his gaze down on the sleeping infant. "Hey Hinata…what do you think of Shana or possibly Anika? I was just looking at her and those two names popped into my mind."

Hinata thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Those two…I don't know if they really fit her. When I first saw her I couldn't help but think that her name should have something to do with the season and since it's summer…I thought we could name her Natsuko since she was born on a beautiful summer's day.

Naruto looked out the window and smiled. He could hear the sounds of children playing outside and birds were chirping.

"Natsuko…I like that name. I really do." Naruto said as he turned around and looked back at the baby who it seemed had been awakened by the conversation. The little girl was wiggling around a bit, it looked like she was trying to get more comfortable. Naruto smiled down at her and raised one of his eyebrows. "She's certainly an active little girl isn't she?" He said as he looked back at Hinata who was looking down at the baby. "I wonder if she inherited the Byakugan...I mean since it's passed down through the bloodline so it's possible she may have inherited it."

Hinata's smile faded for a quick second. "If she did…then it's possible my father might come after her. And if he does…then I don't know what I would do."

A very familiar voice cut through the silence of the room. "If anyone does come after your child then the Hyuga clan will protect her with our lives if it comes down to that. Rest assured, no one will not take her without a fight." Neji Hyuga walked into the room along with two other Hyuga clan members. Naruto looked up at Neji and smiled at him.

"Neji! I thought you were attending a meeting. I thought that being the Head of the Hyuga clan would keep you busy."

Neji smiled as he looked down at the baby and then motioned for the other two Hyuga clan members forward. "These two will be attending to you until you leave the hospital, in addition to attending to you they will also stand guard just in case someone thinks that they can get away with kidnapping her."

Hinata blushed slightly as Naruto grabbed her hand. She didn't blush that easily anymore but she still did once in a great while. "I appreciate the offer but you really don't have to do this. I'm sure that no one will try anything in the hospital. There are far too many people here to try anything."

Neji shook his head. "I'm sorry. But as long as you're here you will be under the protection of the Hyuga clan. I would be a fool if I didn't protect her. That child is a blood relative and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her."

Neji snapped his fingers as he remembered something that he had nearly forgotten. "I…well…TenTen sent this along with me to give to you. She regrets not being here but she had to depart on a mission." Neji walked over to the door and reached around the corner and grabbed a basket that had a red bow on it. "TenTen insisted that I deliver this when the baby was born…she said it was a gift for the family."

Neji brought the basket over to a table that was next to the bed and Naruto took a quick look at the contents and had to stifle a laugh. TenTen was an amazing fighter and she had apparently bought something that she considered a child's toy. Hinata looked into the basket and also had to fight back the urge to laugh.

The basket was mostly filled with food but on top of the food was a plastic kunai knife that was dulled for extra safety. It was attached to a plastic ring. Naruto laughed. It was just the sort of thing that Neji's wife would think of.

Neji turned to look at Naruto and shook his head in slight embarrassment. TenTen was always thinking of ways mess with him and making him deliver the gift basket from her was merely the latest joke she was playing on him.

"TenTen also said that she would visit once she returned from her current mission. Would you like me to inform the others that the baby has been born?"

Both Naruto and Hinata shook their heads rapidly. They were both tired and at the moment they wished simply to be alone with their newborn daughter. Naruto sat down in the chair next to Hinata's bed and smiled as the two Hyuga guards took positions outside the room while Neji waved goodbye. The leader of the Hyuga clan was just about to leave when he turned around and looked at Naruto.

"I just want you to know one thing. If someone does come after either Hinata or the baby…don't let them take them. Fight with your last breath if you need to, but please…protect them."

Naruto nodded once and then turned back toward Hinata who was now nearly asleep and then toward Natsuko who was already asleep in her mother's arms.

Naruto smiled as the door closed and looked at his wife and his new daughter.

_I wouldn't give this up…not for anything in the world._

**I'm thinking of continuing this but I would like to get some opinion from the readers. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

_I really wish Hinata was here_...Naruto Uzumaki thought as he continued rocking the crying Natsuko back and forth in his arms as he desperately tried to lull the crying child back to sleep. It was early in the morning and Naruto hadn't gotten any sleep since she had woken up. Hinata had left earlier to go to the pharmacy to go and pick up some medication for Natsuko who had come down with a slight cough.

_That cough is probably what's been bothering her and woke her up_, Naruto thought as he continued rocking Natsuko. He looked up hopefully as he heard a door open only to have his hopes dashed as Neji walked into the room with an expression that Naruto could only identify as...shock. Neji walked directly past him and sat down in one of the chairs of the Hokage's office. Naruto continued rocking Natsuko even as he took a closer look at Neji.

"Neji?" Naruto said uncertainly as he moved in closer to him. "Neji are you all right? C'mon Neji...say something."

A low mumbling sound came from Neji's mouth. The only thing that Naruto was able to catch over Natsuko's crying were the words "TenTen" and the words "should have been more careful." Naruto's eyes widened. Had something happened to TenTen? Had someone infiltrated the village and attacked her?

Naruto gently put the still-crying Natsuko down on one of the chairs and grabbed Neji by the shoulders and shook him as hard as he could to try and snap him out of whatever daze he was in. "Neji! What happened to TenTen? Is she alright?"

Neji mumbled again and stared at the wall even as Naruto shook him by the shoulders again. "Neji! You need to tell me what happened! What happened to TenTen?"

Neji finally turned toward Naruto and said two words that Naruto could hear, even over Natsuko's crying.

"She's pregnant."

Naruto's eyes instantly widened in shock and his jaw dropped. "A-Are you sure Neji? Maybe she's just not feeling well or something." Neji slowly shook his head. "She just got back from the hospital, there's no mistake."

Naruto took his hands off Neji as the shock of what he had said sank in. "I...uh...well...congratulations Neji."

Neji continued shaking his head even as the door opened and Hinata walked in carrying a small plastic bag. "Naruto, I got the cough medication for Natsuko..." Hinata's voice trailed off as she saw Neji sitting in one of the chairs. "Neji...to what do we owe the honor of this visit?" She asked as she looked at Neji's expression. "Neji? Is something wrong?"

Naruto walked over to Hinata and whispered what had happened to Hinata whose eyes widened in shock and then a large smile appeared on her face. She then turned toward Natsuko who was starting to calm down now that Hinata was back. Hinata walked over to Natsuko and gently picked her up and smiled as Natsuko instantly stopped crying and started giggling.

Naruto turned away from Neji and shook his head in confusion. Natsuko seemed to love it when Naruto fed her but would only stop crying if Hinata was there to pick her up. Naruto then turned back toward Neji and put on of his hands on his shoulder. "So...uh...what does TenTen think about this? Is she okay?"

The shocked expression on Neji's face faded slightly and a small smile appeared on his face. "She was slightly shocked when she found out but since then she's been nothing but smiles. I must say, she was even more shocked then I was when she found out but as I said she got over her shock quickly." Neji put his head down and sighed. "TenTen believes that we are ready but...I don't know if I am."

Hinata who had been holding Natsuko slowly turned toward Neji. "What do you mean by that? You aren't going to run out on her are you?"

Neji sharply turned his head toward her and narrowed his eyes. Neji truly did love TenTen and he wasn't going to lie, he was scared of what was to come but to have someone ask them that made his slightly angry. "Of course not! I'm simply...afraid that I might not be the kind of father that she wants me to be. I would never run out on TenTen."

Hinata smiled at Neji. It looked like that little comment had managed to bring out the real reason he had came here. Neji was afraid he would screw up and TenTen would hate him.

Naruto looked confused for a moment at Hinata's comment and then his eyes widened slightly and he nodded. He had also figured it out. "Neji..." He said quietly. "I'm not going to lie, it's going to be tough but it's also going to be fun. I was scared when I found out I was going to be a dad but the first time I held Natsuko I knew that my life was going to change for the better."

Neji slowly nodded and got back up. "Perhaps you are right...I think I'm going to leave now and see if TenTen needs anything."

Naruto and Hinata both smiled at him. "I think that's a good idea Neji, Why don't you pick up something for her on the way home?" Naruto said.

Neji nodded and began walking toward the door. "Perhaps I will." He said as we walked out the door. Natsuko let out a giggle as Hinata gently rocked her. Naruto watched Neji leave and turned to Hinata and smiled. "He'll be fine, and if he does have any problem he can always talk to me.

**Sorry but that's it for this chapter. I've been having computer trouble so there won't be any updates anytime soon but I promise you all that I will finish this story.**


	3. Chapter 3

((Sorry for the long wait, I had to get a new writing program. I hope you enjoy it. This is going to be a two parter.))

Naruto for the first time in quite awhile was sleeping soundly when a sudden crash and then a loud giggle woke him up. He muttered something under his breath and then turned over so he was face to face with his wife. "Who's turn is it?" he asked sleepily

"Yours." Came the sleepy reply from Hinata. "I took care of it when she managed to break the cookie jar last night.

Naruto sighed. Natsuko was now two years old and seemed to be getting into trouble on a daily basis. She had visited TenTen and Neji earlier that day with Naruto and Hinata. TenTen and Neji always enjoyed having Natsuko over and TenTen just couldn't resist giving her a piece of candy or two whenever she was over. The result was always the same: Natsuko would sleep most of the night only to wake up later and cause all sorts of chaos.

Naruto began to mutter under his breath as he entered the kitchen and saw Natsuko sitting up on the counter with the wreckage of the new cookie jar that Hinata had bought earlier today. Natsuko had a cookie in her hand and she smiled at Naruto as he walked in. Naruto sighed again. "Natsuko...what did we tell you last night?"

"Stop waking up Mommy and Daddy?" Natsuko asked with a giggle.

Naruto shook his head. "No...we told you to stay out of the cookie jar and to stop causing trouble at night. Do you remember now?"

Natsuko paused for a moment and than nodded her head. Naruto smiled and picked her up off the counter. He paused for a moment as he looked over and saw a window that was broken. He sighed again. "Natsuko...did you break the window?" Natsuko looked over at the window and a confused look appeared on her face. "No."

Naruto looked over at the window and paused for a split second. Based on her expression, he could tell that Natsuko hadn't broken the window, Hinata was still in bed so it couldn't be her and until a few minutes ago he had been in bed as well. They were on the second floor of the Hokage's building so that could only mean...

_Intruders...In the village!_

Before he could react, he heard a shout come from the bedroom. Naruto's eyes widened in panic and he ran towards the bedroom only to be intercepted by a body flying out of the bedroom and slamming into the wall. He looked down at the body and sighed in relief.

It wasn't Hinata. He took a quick look at the mark on the ninja's headband and saw two things that alarmed him: One was that the identifying mark had been crossed out and he wasn't able to tell where the ninja had come from. The second thing was that there was blood on the ninja's face and he didn't have any cuts or other injuries near his face.

_Hinata...He must have injured Hinata!_

Naruto ran into the bedroom and saw Hinata leaning against a wall. She was holding her side and the fabric of her shirt was turning red with blood. She hit the floor with a thud even as she smiled at her husband and daughter. Naruto gently put Natsuko on the bed and ran to Hinata's side. "Hinata...Hinata wake up!" He wept as the tears began to roll down her cheeks as he cradled her head in his lap.

Natsuko got up off the bed and grabbed her mother's hand and began to cry. "Mommy..." She sobbed. "Mommy wake up!"

Naruto quickly checked to see if her heart was still beating and was relieved to find it still beating. He was torn between rushing Hinata to the hospital and leaving Natsuko alone in a village that most likely had enemy ninja in it or staying by his wife's side and waiting for medical-nin to arrive.

_There has to be something I can do...I can't leave Natsuko alone...not if there are possibly enemy ninja lose in the village. But Hinata...I can't let her die._

The answer came to him a split second later.

_Shadow clones...Why didn't I think of this earlier?_

Naruto made a series of handsigns and a small group of shadow clones appeared in puffs of smoke and instantly formed a small barrier around Natsuko except for one that immediately jumped out the window and ran in the direction of Neji and TenTen's home. Naruto got down in front of Natsuko and tried his best to stop crying. "Listen to me Natsuko...if someone gets inside the house before Neji and TenTen get here, I want you to run to Neji and TenTen's. You need to leave at the first sign of trouble okay?"

Natsuko nodded tearfully and grabbed onto one of the shadow clone's legs as her father scooped up his wife and jumped out the window and landed on the railing one level before and then jumped down to the ground level and took off as fast as he could.

Natsuko let go of the clone's leg and nervously watched as her father took off into the distance. She hid behind one of the shadow clones as she heard a twig cracked outside. "I'm scared..." She said quietly to the clone who patted her head to reassure her that they would do her best to protect her.

Naruto continued running towards the hospital as quickly as he could as Hinata continued bleeding through the wound in her side. He couldn't help but think that he was making a mistake leaving Natsuko alone with only a group of shadow clones to protect her. _It'll be okay..._he thought anxiously as he continued running, _Soon Neji and TenTen will be there to look after her._

Hinata muttered something under her breath. He raised her up so he could hear her better. "Natsuko," she muttered anxiously even as she winced in pain. "I-I s Natsuko alright?" Naruto looked down at her and nodded. "I left her with some shadow clones and Neji and Ten Ten should be there as soon as they can."

Hinata's eyes closed briefly as she struggled to stay awake."Protect her Naruto...there are more of them...in the village...waiting for us to leave her alone...Someone w-wants to take her...that was all I managed to get out of the enemy ninja."

Naruto's eyes widened in panic as Hinata spoke those words even as she finally passed out. He should have known that there were more attackers in the village and he should have known that that they were after his daughter.

He continued running even as he sent the new information to the shadow clone heading for Neji and TenTen

_Please hurry..._he thought as he continued running.

**Home of Neji and TenTen**

Hyuuga Neji was tired. He had spent the last hour trying to get Hirona, his and TenTen's daughter to sleep. TenTen was in the kitchen getting a bottle ready so she could take her turn trying to get her to sleep. He was just about to fall asleep with Hirona in his arms when he suddenly heard a loud banging at the door. He was about to get up and answer it when TenTen managed to get in front of him. She handed him the bottle and then opened the door.

Both Neji and TenTen's eyes widened as they saw the shadow clone at the front door. It began to speak so fast that they couldn't understand it at first but they managed to catch a few words that made them worried.

"Slow down..." TenTen said quietly. The clone paused for a moment and then told them what had happened as quickly as it could so they could understand it.

"Hinata...was attacked? Neji said in disbelief. TenTen turned to look at Neji as a sudden realization came to mind. "Natsuko is alone? Why would he leave her alone with enemy ninja in the village?"

"He left a group of shadow clones with her...he just found out that Natsuko is the target and that the attack on Hinata was a distraction." The clone answered before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Neji and TenTen both looked at each other as their panic began to show. "We need to protect Natsuko!" TenTen said quietly. "But Hirona...what do we do? If this is true then we need someone to protect her!"

"Ino is only a few homes away. We'll leave her with her." Neji said as he grabbed his kunai holster and ran out the door. "I'll meet up with you as soon as I can." TenTen called out after him as she ran out the door to Ino's house.

**((Well...here is the end of part one. I'll write up the rest of it as soon as I can. Thanks for reading.))**


	4. Chapter 4

Natsuko was scared.

She could hear the sounds of combat outside the house. She could also hear the occasional sound of a shadow clone being taken out. There were only three left in the home and she was holding on to the leg of the one that was behind the other two. All three of them were holding kunai knives and were waiting for the enemy ninja to inevitably take out the few remaining clones outside and then attempt to take Natsuko.

"I'm scared." She whimpered. The clone whose leg she was holding onto looked down at her and gently patted her head. "It's going to be alright." the clone said quietly as it gathered the other information from the clones that were being taken out. The home was surrounded by unknown forces that were taking out the clones from a distance with powerful techniques. The clones couldn't run or hide so they would do what Naruto wanted them to do. They would fight to protect his...no...their daughter. Since Naruto was the father of Natsuko and the clones were in essence a part of Naruto, they felt the same degree of concern for Natsuko and the same feeling of fatherly love for her.

The clone that Natsuko was holding on to frowned. The last of the clones outside had been taken out, leaving only the three in the home to protect Natsuko. The three remaining clones dropped into a battle formation that would allow them to best protect Natsuko. Before they could even move, two of them were hit by kunai knives that flew in through the broken windows at incredible speeds leaving only the third clone with Natsuko holding onto him.

The remaining clone looked at down at her and gently picked her up and set her down on one of the counters and moved a few things on the counter so that she would be shielded when the battle inevitably would begin.

The clone ran to the window and watched as a dark shadowy figure jumped up and landed on the outside ledge of the window. The clone began to form a small rasengan as the figure brought his fist up against the clone and sent him flying backwards. Before the clone hit the wall the clone threw a handful of kunai knives at the figure who easily dodged them. The clone vanished in a puff of smoke as it hit the wall and the figure walked into the room. "I know your in here little girl. You might as well make this easy on yourself and just show yourself," the figure called out in a mocking voice.

No answer.

The figure laughed. "You can't escape. And I know your in here. The clones who were protecting you are gone and I doubt that anyone else is going to show up in time."

"You would be wrong."

The figure quickly turned around just in time to barely dodge a strike that was aimed at his head. He was forced to jump back as two handfuls of kunai knives cut through the air where he had been a moment ago. The figure silently cursed himself. He had been overconfident and hadn't anticipated help arriving so quickly.

TenTen stepped into the light. She had two handfuls of kunai knives and was smiling darkly. Neji stepped into the light right next to her and had his byakugan activated.

"You made a big mistake when you decided to mess with the daughter of the hokage." TenTen said quietly as she threw the kunai knives at the figure who was easily able to dodge them. Although he had managed to dodge the kunai knives, in the split second that it took for him to dodge them Neji was able to got close enough to him to try and hit him using his gentle fist technique which the figure was easily able to dodge.

"Is that honestly the best you can do?" the figure taunted as the two of them regrouped in front of him. TenTen was smiling and for the life of him the figure couldn't figure out why. "What seems to be so funny?"

Neji looked behind the figure and smiled as well. "While you were dodging my attack...TenTen was able to get behind you and was able to modify the kunai knives slightly."

The figure slowly turned around and in that moment Neji was able to locate Natsuko and grab her and began to run just as the figure noticed something.

The kunai knives which had been standard issue kunai knives now had exploding tags attached to each and everyone one of them. The figure looked back quickly as TenTen and Neji who was holding Natsuko jumped out of the open window and began running.

_Damnit! _

The figure quickly turned towards the window and began running just as the kunai knives detonated and sent him flying through the open window and he hit the ground with a thud. Neji handed Natsuko to TenTen and then looked back at the figure who was getting back up.

"Take Natsuko to the hospital and wait for the hokage there." He said quietly as he reactivated his byakugan and watched the figure who was having a bit of trouble regaining his balance but seemed to be otherwise unharmed.

TenTen nodded and quickly took off towards the direction of the hospital and managed to disappear from sight after only a few moments. The figure turned to look in the direction that TenTen had taken before looking back at Neji.

"You two...you seem to enjoy making my life difficult." The figure said as he and Neji began to circle one another looking for possible weaknesses to exploit. "I remember how much trouble you and the other caused me during the last Shinobi war."

"You were in the last great Shinobi war?" Neji asked skeptically as he continued to study his opponent for weaknesses. There was something wrong with his opponent's chakra pathways. They seemed to be shielded somehow...he could barely what areas he could strike. "I find that hard to believe, all of Madara's followers were killed in the last war and I'm quite sure if you were on our side you wouldn't have tried to kidnap the daughter of the hokage."

"A common misconception. I wasn't one of Madara's followers. I used the war as an advantage. I formed an alliance with Madara and supplied him with troops. And in return I was promised the last of the Uchiha clan_. _But things didn't go as planned. Madara was defeated and Sasuke disappeared. I searched for him for years but never even found a trace of him. As a result...I sought the next best thing."

The figure threw back his hood and laughed as Neji's eyes widened. "Y-You were killed In the war! I was there when you were killed!"

The smiling face of Kabuto Yakushi looked wrong, like somehow it had been merged with something. His eyes were yellow and his skin was pale.

"As I said." Kabuto said as he made a series of handsigns, "A common misconception.

_((Sorry for the long wait, Computer problems and real life have kept me from finishing earlier. I hope you enjoy the story.))_


	5. Chapter 5

TenTen knew what she had to do.

She could hear the sound of combat behind her and she could tell that whatever opponet Neji was fighting was proving to be a very difficult foe. She could hear thuds as kunai knives slammed into trees, the occasional _boom_ of an exploding kunai knife and Neji's occasional shouts of pain. She looked down at the small form in her arms that was looking up at her with a terrified expression on her face.

"It's okay Natsuko..." She said quietly as she continued heading for the hospital where Naruto was hopefully waiting with Hinata. "I promise you that Neji and I won't let whoever that is get you." Natsuko whimpered and buried her head in TenTen's shoulder as they heard a very loud shout and an even louder explosion behind them. Natsuko tried to look over TenTen's shoulders but TenTen adjusted her arms to that Natsuko couldn't see. "Don't look back Natsuko. I promise you Neji will be all right."

But in her heart, TenTen was still terrified for her husband. Was it possible that their daugher would wake up in the next morning without a father?

As she continued running she noticed something after a few moments: The sounds of battle had stopped. She couldn't hear anything she realized after a moment. There was no sound except for the sound of her feet hitting the ground.

_Neji..._she thought in sudden desperation. _Please be alive..._

**Forest**

Kabuto watched with no small amount of satisfaction as Neji's body hit the ground with a thud. The Hyuga clan member had a put up an entertaining fight but in the end had been no match for Kabuto. He had used a technique that had allowed him to shield his chakra pathways from Neji's Byakugan and that had given Kabuto all the advantage that he needed. However, Neji had managed to score a hit with a kunai knife when Kabuto had moved in too close. He looked down at the small cut on his arm and smiled as he turned in the direction that TenTen had gone after and than looked down at Neji's body and saw that althought he was covered in bruises and cuts and he was bleeding badly he was still barely breathing.

Kabuto leaned down and smiled. "You failed. Soon now...both the power of the nine-tailed demon fox and the byakugan will be mine. Remember that when you watch your village burn to the ground. Remember that it's your fault."

Kabuto mockingly waved at Neji's body and than took off in the direction of the hospital with a speed that seemed superhuman.

**Enroute to the hospital **

TenTen was still slightly disturbed by the eerie calm that had descended over the area. It was as though the animals that lived within the forest were hiding. That they knew something that she didn't. Natsuko was still scared but she wasn't crying. Instead she was constantly looking over TenTen's shoulder.

Natsuko suddenly let out a small whimper of fear just as TenTen heard the sound of running feet coming up behind them. Natsuko buried her head in TenTen's shoulders as they both heard the sound of something flying through the air. TenTen was barely able to move out of the way before a large kunai knife that was attached to a thick rope buried itself in the tree that had been in front of them a moment ago. She could hear eerie laughter getting closer and closer to them.

TenTen couldn't help but look behind and her heart nearly stopped when she saw what was chasing them: A hooded figure wearing a black cloak that covered most of his body. But that thing about the figure that scared her the most were the eyes.

The pale yellow eyes.

The figure laughed again. "If you stop now I may let you live!" He called out mockingly as he quickly closed the gap between the two of them. TenTen could tell instantly that he was lying by the sound of his voice. She had to move faster.

"Hold on Natsuko. We're going to have to go faster." She whispered as she began to run as fast as she possibly could. The figure behind them laughed again and easily matched her pace, running side by side with her. "Nice try."

TenTen was holding Natsuko with both hands so she couldn't reach for one of her kunai knives or any of the other weapons she usually carried.

She was an easy target.

The figure's hood finally dropped and TenTen was able to see the face of her attacker and her heart nearly stopped again.

_Kabuto...but he died in the last war! This has to be a trick!_

Kabuto laughed again and made a series of handsigns and a massive creature made of earth and stone slowly began to rise up from the ground. TenTen stopped just in front of them creature just as it fully emerged from the ground.

"Nowhere to run...Nowhere to hide." Kabuto said mockingly as he slowly advanced on TenTen and smiled a very creepy smile. TenTen was still trying to find a way to get Natsuko away when she heard a voice shout from above.

"DON'T YOU HURT MY DAUGHTER!"

TenTen ducked out of the way as an orange figure landed between her and Kabuto. Naruto Uzumaki stared at Kabuto with eyes that burned like flames.

"You hurt my wife, and you came after my daughter. Thats the last mistake you'll ever make." He said quietly as a blue sphere formed in his hand.


	6. Chapter 6

**((This chapter is dedicated to all my good friends at Naruto Forums. Especially those in the Naruto X Hinata fan club. All the fan-art and stories that you guys post there keep inspiring me to write stories of my own.)) **

Kabuto smiled as the rasengan formed in his opponent's hand. Naruto had played a large part in his defeat during the war and he was looking forward to finally taking his revenge. He had originally planned to simply kill his wife and steal his daughter away, but to defeat him...and than steal away his daughter would surely hurt Naruto much more. How would he feel, knowing that he wasn't strong enough to protect his family? That he simply wasn't as strong as Kabuto? Oh...he was going to enjoy this.

The rasengan continued spinning in his hand as he glared at Kabuto with barely controlled hatred. "Kabuto...there are a lot of things that I would have forgiven...but you nearly killed my wife and you tried to steal away my daughter. I can't forgive you for that. But if you give yourself up I promise you won't be put to death. You'll sit in a prison cell for the rest of your life."

A barely audible chuckle could be heard as Kabuto laughed softly. "So...I didn't manage to kill your wife eh? I'll have to fix that before I leave the village. But rest assured, I'll make sure that she dies. Slowly and painfully." Kabuto continued smiling. "I have ways of making her suffer so much that she'll beg for death."

"Take Natsuko and bring her to the hospital." Naruto told TenTen quietly. "Tell the ANBU black ops to be on guard at all entrances and exits of the village just in case he tries to run once I beat him. And make sure that the medical-nin check Hinata for poisons just in case."

TenTen took a quick look at Kabuto and than looked back at the Hokage with a worried expression on her face. "Neji tried to buy me time to get away with Natsuko. If what I suspect is true than I think that he may be badly injured."

Naruto paused for a moment and nodded his head. "Once you arrive at the hospital tell the ANBU to send a few squads out to find him. None of my friends are going to die tonight if I have anything to say about it."

Kabuto couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's words. "You assume much if you think you can beat me. It's been years since you and I fought. I'm going to assume that you have a few new tricks but I have a few new ones as well."

A very dark smile appeared on Naruto's face as Kabuto spoke. "Your right...I have learned a few new tricks since the war Kabuto. But I want to know one thing: How did you survive the war? I was there when you died and I remember watching your body being disposed of. You can either tell me now or I can beat the answers out of you."

Kabuto laughed and a very small smile appeared on his face. "Once again, your assuming quite a bit by thinking you can beat me. But I suppose I can tell you how I managed to survive the war...after all, it's a fascinating story."

**Flashback**

Kabuto knew that the war was as good as over. Somehow Uchiha Itachi, one of his own Edo-tensei bodies had managed to break free of his control and had somehow managed to disrupt his control over the rest of his army of Edo-tensei bodies, many of them were returning to their natural forms as he lost his control over them. He winced as he watched as the final black Zetsu clone was destroyed by Naruto.

That only left Madara. And he was slowly but surely being weakened by the unrelenting assaults by the combined forces of the five kages. He could feel his anger rising to the surface as he watched as Naruto and Killer B joined in the battle against Madara

Madara was being forced back as he used up more and more chakra as the five kages along with Naruto continued to press their attack against him. He was barely able to keep them at bay and with Zetsu now gone there was no one able to assist him. Kabuto knew that if he even came close to the battle zone he would become a target and with the way the kages were fighting against Madara he wouldn't stand a chance once they were finished with him.

He took a last look around the battlefield and saw that Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. The last time he had seen the Uchiha he had been battling alongside his brother against a group of the Edo-tensei bodies. But they were both gone now.

He had no time to try and locate them as he heard a loud, agonizing shout come from the battlefield. Kabuto watched as Killer B and the Fourth Raikage began to perform their signature move: The Double Lariat as the kages finally managed to knock him hit him hard enough to daze him for a quick second.

That second was all that Killer B and the Fourth Raikage needed.

"No!" Madara shouted as the two of them were just about to complete their attack. "I am Madara! I cannot be defeated by the likes of y-." Madara's voice cut out as the Raikage and Killer B managed to complete the attack. Madara's body hit the floor thud.

_Time to make my escape before they regroup. _Kabuto thought as he turned around only to see a furious pair of eyes staring at him.

"Kabuto..." Naruto said quietly as his body glowed with the power of his nine-tailed mode. "I'm going to give you one chance to surrender. If you don't, I'll turn you over to the kages."

"I'm sorry Naruto, but that's not your decision." Came a quiet voice from behind him. Naruto quickly turned around and saw Tsunade and the Raikage standing behind him. The Raikage's body was surrounded by an aura of blue chakra. Naruto could almost feel the chakra that was emanating from the two of them. Despite the fact that they had been fighting Madara only a few moments ago he could tell that they still had plenty of chakra left.

"What do you mean "It's not my decision?" Naruto asked although he already had an idea of what was going to be done.

The Raikage stepped forward. "He took sides with Madara and raised an army against us. He's guilty of killing many brave shinobi and using their bodies against us. I'm not sorry to say that he has to die. He's been one of our targets since he was found to be involved in this war."

Naruto turned around and saw that the rest of the kages had arrived at some point during the conversation. And they were nodding in agreement with the Raikage. Tsunade sighed. "I'm sorry Naruto."

Naruto looked at Kabuto's face and saw that a small flicker of uncertainty had appeared on it. Naruto didn't blame him: The Five kages had made a decision and even if he wanted to intervene it most likely wouldn't have made a difference.

The Raikage raised his fist and a blue aura of lightning chakra appeared around his fist as the rest of the Kages each raised their fists and other colored auras appeared around their fists. Kabuto looked around desperately for an escape route but there was none. He made a series of hand signs and his body was surrounded by smoke for a split second before a hand grabbed him and pulled him back. Killer Bee shook his head as he let go of Kabuto just as the kages brought their fists down on Kabuto.

Naruto looked away as the kages brought their fists down on him. But for a moment...just for a split second...he thought he sensed Kabuto's chakra aura a few feet away. He quickly turned around and saw nothing.

"It's over Naruto..." Tsuande's voice was remarkably calm for having just helped commit an execution. Naruto turned and saw Kabuto's body on the ground. It was burnt and battered by the style of execution that had been used. "He tried to escape just before the end but it didn't work."

Naruto looked down at the body as two of the allied shinobi arrived. The Raikage turned away from the body. "Take his body and burn it."

"Yes Raikage." The two shinobi said as they lifted the body and carried it towards one of the small camps that were being set up on the battlefield.

Naruto turned to look at Tsunade and shook his head. "We shouldn't have killed him. There had to be some other option."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but there was no other choice. You know as well as I do that he was too dangerous to capture. He could have escaped and summoned another army against us."

Naruto watched as one of the shinobi made a series of hand signs and a stream of fire shot from his mouth and engulfed Kabuto's lifeless body. Naruto turned his gaze away and looked at Tsunade once again. "At least this war is over."

Tsunade turned and looked up at the sky. The sun was setting and cheering could be heard coming from the battleground as the Raikage's booming voice proclaimed that the war was over.

But unknown to the kages and Naruto and the other forces of the shinobi alliance...There was a survivor. A single survivor who was capable of great evil.

A cloaked figure watched as the shinobi forces celebrated their victory, never knowing that he had managed to escape.

Kabuto threw back his hood and watched as the battered and burned body of the body that he had substituted as his own burned. The kages were fools. The style of execution that they had used had left the body he had substituted burned and battered beyond recognition. The best part was was that the body had been disguised as his own using a special kinjutsu. He had had the body ready just in case the kages had caught up with him and it had proven to be invaluable tool in his escape. He was lucky it had been the fool Killer B who had intervened in his escape. If it had been one of the kages who had grabbed him they may have sensed something was wrong but Killer B had been more focused on keeping him from escaping then on monitoring his chakra aura.

He pulled his cloak back around his head and turned towards the forest. One day he would return to the hidden leaf village and take his revenge. But not now...not with his current level of strength. Even though he was thought dead he wouldn't take any chances.

**Flashback ends**

Naruto stared at Kabuto who had a very dark smile on his face. "So..." Naruto said quietly. "You used a substitution jutsu. I thought that it was odd you didn't try to take at least one of the kages out with you. I should have realized something was wrong."

Kabuto laughed. "I've spent years perfecting my fighting skills and now I'm more than a match for you. I've learned jutsu that most people believe are only legends. Right now, I am finally your better."

Naruto's body began to glow with inner power as he tapped into the the nine-tailed fox's power. Yellow chakra began to form around him and little flickering flames of chakra appeared on him.

"Today Kabuto...I'm going to make sure the world is finally safe from you. Today I'm going to make sure my wife, my daughter and village are finally safe. Get ready." Naruto said as a blue swirling ball appeared in his hand.

Kabuto simply smiled again.


End file.
